I am a professional editor and translator, as well as a fan of many languages, especially "exotic" ones. This blog contains tidbits on some of my favorite languages and my experiences learning them.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Whew!

Well, my two months of cramming combined with the three preceding years of classes paid off! On July 18 I finished my comprehensive exams, and within a few days after that my professors read them and determined that I knew enough. So I passed! In my mental categorization of things, this exam was the most daunting part of my doctoral program. I am very thankful to have passed it. Now it's on to the more fun part: writing my dissertation.

I am not being facetious when I say the dissertation is more fun. I enjoy writing, particularly about things I am interested in and knowledgeable about. I will be writing about the syntax of the stanzas of madrashe poems of Ephrem of Nisibis, one of the most talented poets the human race has ever produced. Now that's fun!

3 comments:

I don't know who keeps trying to leave comments in Chinese on this post. However, if you want me to publish a comment, you will have to put it in a language I can read. English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, or even Kurmanji, Russian or Arabic would do. Syriac, Coptic or Koine Greek would also be acceptable.

About Me

My name is Paul Stevenson. I am a translator, editor and linguist. I have long been a specialist in Spanish. I am also a student of Mayan languages and, more recently, Semitic languages. I finished my doctorate in this field in 2013, specializing in Syriac and Coptic. A lot of the material in my Ancient Bible Languages blog comes from my preparation to lead the lectionary study in my local Episcopal church. Some also comes from preparation for private tutoring in intermediate New Testament Greek.